KEY POINTS:
Queenstown freestyle skier Jossi Wells has had a real boost ahead of the Winter X-Games with a podium placing in the United States today.
Wells finished third against many of the world's best in the halfpipe contest at the Honda Ski Tour in Sun Valley, Idaho.
The competition attracted many of the key competitors that Wells will face in the US Open championships starting on Thursday and the Winter X-Games next week.
Wells scored 89.25 points, .25 behind runner-up place Mike Riddle, of Canada.
American Simon Dumont won with 93.5 to reverse the result when he was beaten by Wells in the final of the New Zealand Open last year in Wanaka.
Wells was delighted with his result.
"This is a boost to the confidence. I am now less daunted of going big and letting my skis run a lot more."
Wells now heads for the US Open at Copper Mountain, Colorado, where competition starts on Thursday.
The next two weeks will be a crucial time for Wells, who again faces the top competitors in the biggest events in the world for both the halfpipe and slopestyle.
- NZPA
